Knowing When and How to Ask for Help
Students learn to name trusted adults at school and at home, recognize when a problem is too big to handle alone, ask for help using clear, specific language, understand that asking for help is a strength not a weakness, and follow through on what a trusted adult suggests.
Lesson Overview
What students will be able to do after this lesson: Students will be able to name two trusted adults at school and describe what each one helps with, tell the difference between a problem they can handle and one that needs an adult, ask for help using specific language, recognize when a problem is urgent, and follow through on the help they receive by trying what was suggested and reporting back.
Skill segments at a glance:
| Segment | Segment name | Primary standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who to Go To and How Big Is My Problem | RS-HLP-2-1 · RS-HLP-2-2 |
| 2 | How to Ask and When It’s Urgent | RS-HLP-2-3 · RS-HLP-2-4 |
| 3 | Closing the Loop | RS-HLP-2-5 |
Supporting standards reinforced:
| Code | Why it connects |
|---|---|
| SM-MHL-2-3 | Going to a trusted adult is the mental health response when feelings are too big to handle alone |
| RS-BDR-2-5 | Naming trusted adults for safety — same concept, different context |
| RS-COM-2-2 | Speaking clearly is the communication skill that makes a help request actually work |
Key Vocabulary
- Trusted adult — A grown-up who will listen, take you seriously, and actually help
- Small problem — Something you can handle yourself or with a friend — without a grown-up
- Big problem — Something that needs an adult because it’s too much to manage on your own
- Urgent — Needs help RIGHT NOW — not later, not tomorrow
- Follow through — Trying what someone suggested and coming back to let them know what happened
Materials
- Whiteboard or chart paper + marker
- Optional: printed “problem size” card (small / medium / big / urgent) for student reference
- Before the week begins: Post your unit anchor chart and I Can Statement where students can see them — you’ll reference both throughout the week.
How this lesson is structured: Each skill segment has an I Do (teacher models the skill) and a We Do (class practices together with your guidance). Independent practice lives in the practice resources that go alongside this lesson.
What Students Need Before This Lesson
- What’s inside
- What students should already be able to do
- Helpful to have in place
- 4 quick set-ups before the I DoAsking for help is a strength, not a weakness · Problem size: not everything needs an adult — but some things really do · Urgent means right now — not in a minute, not “when it’s convenient” · Following through means actually trying AND coming back — not just nodding
- Rescue planIf students are significantly behind
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Introducing the Skill
- What’s inside
- Opening hook
- What we’re learning
- Why it matters
- Core sentence frameThe frame students use all week
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Who to Go To and How Big Is My Problem
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsTwo trusted adults: specific names and specific roles · Wrong version → fix: “any teacher” vs. two specific people · Problem size: can I handle this or do I need a grown-up? · Non-conflict: naming trusted adults as a proactive habit
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
How to Ask and When It’s Urgent
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsWhat a specific help request sounds like · Wrong version → fix: vague vs. specific help request · What urgent looks like: tell a grown-up RIGHT NOW · Non-conflict: asking for help in an ordinary academic moment
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Closing the Loop
- What’s inside
- I do: 4 teacher modelsFollowing through: trying what was suggested · Wrong version → fix: nodding and ignoring · Reporting back: what it sounds like · Non-conflict: reporting back when it worked
- We do: 5 guided scenariosWith sentence frames, pacing notes and what to watch for
- Coaching in the momentWhat to say when students get stuck
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Closing the Week
- What’s inside
- 3 partner-share roundsOne for each segment, with the frame students say together
- Closing prompt
- Land the key idea
- Connect to daily life
- Optional — Quick check-in
This section opens when Grade 2 launches.
Practice for every skill segment
Each lesson comes with independent practice — the “you do” — for each of its 3 skill segments, in print and digital.
Printable practice
Ready-to-copy practice pages for each segment.
- View and print in your browser
- Answer keys for quick checking
Digital activities
Share one link — students open it on any device, and you see their answers.
- Works on Chromebooks, tablets and phones
- Students just type their name to start
While you wait: from the SEL Resource Library
Relationship Skills resources for Grade 2, ready to use today.
